Chapter 119

Excitement danced across Danica's features as she processed the good news. Then, she remembered the uproar Kaia had caused at the wedding, trying to set her own sister up.

Most people that day had seen only the surface, but Danica saw through the act, reading the tension with practiced eyes.

Someone who could plot against her own flesh and blood probably never showed her older sister any kindness to begin with.

It was hard to miss the hands-off approach of the Willis parents-rules bent and broken, and no one seemed to care.

What truly stood out was how Verena stayed cool under pressure, shutting down every accusation with calm and skill, like she'd faced this kind of drama before. When Danica decided to form an alliance with the Willis family through marriage, Kaia had been the only name she heard. It was only after chatting with Laura and Alec that she discovered there was an older daughter, one who'd spent years out of sight,raised in the countryside.

That was the moment Danica understood: the Willises weren't telling her everything.

She could still picture Laura's eager smile as she finally brought Verena forward, like showing off something for sales.

It all clicked now-back then, Danica hadn't questioned why the Willis family brought Verena into the picture. But the truth was obvious: the Willises refused to risk Kaia's future and instead offered up the daughter they'd always neglected, just to k<eep their end of the deal.

These thoughts pushed Danica to squeeze Verena's hand, her voice low with regret and new respect."Verena, I mean this-I can't thank you enough for helping Isaac. I misjudged you. You knew what you were signing up for and still said yes. That wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry for all of it. From now on, I promise you have my support. If your family ever makes things hard for you, you come to me. I'll have your back, no matter what."

It was the least Danica could offer, a small step toward making things right.

Whatever else happened, the fact that Verena had given her son hope for a real future would always matter most.

Verena answered with a gentle smile, her voice steady, "You don't need to worry about me, really.I chose this path for myself. Being with Isaac was my decision; no one forced me."

Her words floated out softly, but there was no doubt in the strength behind them.

A wave of relief washed over Danica, who could only look at Verena in wonder.

For the first time, Danica was certain she'd made the right call forming a marriage alliance with the Willis family.

They spoke a little longer, but soon Danica glanced at the time, knowing she had to go.

Without protest, Verena walked her to the door,quietly seeing her out.

Hardly a moment after Danica disappeared, the sound of Isaac's car pulling up echoed through the drive.

Jacob gave lsaac a hand into his wheelchair, and then lsaac moved across the walkway until he was right beside Verena.

"Did my mom just leave?" Isaac asked, watching her with curiosity.

He'd caught a glimpse of Danica's favorite car rolling out of the estate.

It was obvious to Verena that Danica timed her exit so lsaac would not catch even a hint of their talk about his condition. Verena gave a little nod. "She just stopped by for a quick chat, that's all."

There was no reason to add more worries to lsaac's condition, so Verena left out every detail about Danica's questions.

A note of unease slipped into lsaac's voice. "She didn't put you through the wringer, did she?"

For a second, Verena wondered just how intimidating Danica must appear from Isaac's perspective.

As she guided his wheelchair into the living room,she flashed him a reassuring smile. "You're stressing for nothing. It was just regular small talk."

Isaac's eyebrows knitted together."Are you sure?You'd tell me if she was giving you trouble, right?"

She let out a quiet sigh, and then knelt down to look him in the eye.

"Isaac, do you really want to see a rift between me and your mom?" She lifted her wrist so he could see the gleaming jade. "See this? Your mother just gave me her prized bracelet as a welcome."

His eyes dropped to the smooth, green stone resting against her skin, and for a heartbeat, he went quiet.

That piece of jade wasn't just jewelry. It carried the weight of family tradition-every daughter-in-law received it as a mark of acceptance. Danica guarded it like it was priceless.

A warmth softened lsaac's gaze as he took in the sight of that bracelet on Verena's wrist.

...

One week had slipped by since V/erena walked down the aisle. Kaia had vanished just as long-no one had seen her since the wedding.

Kaia had stormed out that night and simply never bothered to come home.

The night Kaia disappeared, Alec was too furious to chase after her. Laura and Luka shrugged it off,convinced she was just crashing at a friend's place. But after seven days had passed, Laura came home from the office, and Luka dropped his bag after school, only to find the house just as empty-Kaia's room looked untouched, not a trace of her anywhere.

A worried frown creased Laura's brow. "Where is she? How long does she plan to stay away?"

Luka's shoulders slumped. "Maybe she's still mad and hiding out at a friend's place."

Laura's voice grew sharp. "She should at least pick up the phone. It's not right to disappear for days."

Because of Kaia's drama, several business partners were already backing out, all of them tossing out words like "integrity" and "reputation" as an excuse.

Lately, Laura found herself buried in work at the office, while Alec was so swamped that he hardly made it home before midnight.

With chaos at the company piling up, Kaia's absence seemed less like a coincidence and more like a perfectly timed escape. Laura's patience snapped as she said to Luka, "You know most of the people Kaia runs with. Start dialing and figure out where she is. Tell her she needs to show up here by tomorrow morning-and I don't want her wandering anywhere else until I let her."

"Got it."

He scrolled through Kaia's contact list, exhaling slowly as he made the first call.

"Hey, Marianna? Luka here. Has Kaia been crashing at your place?"

A voice crackled through. "Nope. I'm not even in the country-I'm out on vacation."

Luka ended the call, and then tried the next number,barely pausing between dials.

"Hi, Saniya. It's Luka. Did Kaia come to see you a week ago?"

"A week ago? Wasn't that when the thunderstorm hit? Why would she show up in that mess?" Luka pressed, "Any idea who she's been hanging around with lately?"

"No clue.Sorry."

"Alright. Thanks anyway," Luka replied, voice tight,before moving on.

One call after another, he.found himself getting nowhere. Most of Kaia's so-called friends were just party buddies; beyond club nights and group chats,they didn't seem to care about her whereabouts.

Still, Luka refused to quit, running through the last few contacts in her list.

He finally reached the last one. "Hey, Mckenzie, it's Luka-Kaia's brother. Have you heard from her at all?"

"No,nothing."

Just as he was about to say thanks and hang up,Mckenzie's voice turned sly. "By the way, I heard Kaia stirred up trouble at Verena's wedding. Seriously, she sabotaged her own sister? That's messed up." Luka gripped his phone tighter, refusing to let his anger show. "I'm being respectful here, so keep the gossip to yourself."

Mckenzie just chuckled, not backing down. "Relax,I'm not trying to start anything. But if Kaia's missing,maybe think about who she's pissed off lately.Who knows, maybe someone snatched her."

A cold spike of fear shot through Luka at the word "snatched."

"Thanks for your time," he said, and then cut the call short.

When he put the phone down and didn't dial another number, Laura walked over, eyes full of worry. "Did you find her? What did everyone say?"

Luka's hands trembled. "She's gone, Mom. I think Kaia's really missing."

Laura's face went pale as a sheet. "What did you just say?"